Major Earthquake Looms as 10 Million Californians Get Ready with 'Great Shake Out'

On Thursday morning at 10:16 a.m., over ten million Californians dropped, sought cover, and held on to something to prepare for the next major earthquake that will hit some Golden State community probably sooner than later.

The simulated earthquake drill, known as the “Great Shake Out,” initiated in 2008, aims to improve earthquake preparedness for schools, homes, businesses and workplaces throughout the California.

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According to the event’s website, of the 10.3 million Californians participating, 4.5 million were in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties, while about 1.3 million were in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

KTLA5 reported that the massive simulated disaster drill comes on the heels of a report that suggests four separate fault lines beneath the heavily populated Bay Area are overdue for an earthquake and capable of producing a magnitude-6.8 or greater trembler in the near future.

KTLA points out that the recent Napa earthquake, the 20th anniversary of the Northridge quake, and the 25th anniversary of the Loma Prieta trembler are “critical reminders” that California is “Earthquake country.”

The AP report released on Thursday pointed out that California has not suffered a devastating quake since the 1994 Northridge quake, where 60 people were killed and more than 7,000 were injured. Before that, the San Francisco Bay region’s 6.9 magnitude quake, otherwise known as the World Series earthquake, exploded on the city in 1989, killing 63 people and injuring nearly 3,800.